Lorena Lamb wins the Style Prize at the Winter Pony Finals
Friday 05 May 2023
Lorena Lamb impressed with style and maturity to be crowned the new British Showjumping 10-year-old and Under Style and Performance Champion at South View’s Winter Pony Finals, Cheshire.
Eighteen diminutive riders came forward in front of judge Gillian Milner and seven of them posted double clears. It was Whitchurch, Shropshire-based Lorena, 10, who caught Gillian’s eye with Alisha Lamb’s 15-year-old Valentine Romance to earn the title with a clear 10 points.
“Lorena was first to go and set a high standard and maintained that standard in the second round. She was very consistent, rode in a balanced rhythm and landed on the correct leg. They were a very harmonious partnership,” said Gillian.
Libby Foster finished second on Cwrtycadno Padriag and Fenella Adams was a further four points in arrears for third on Oliver Twist VI.
Lacie Williams, 12, from Shrewsbury, Shropshire, commanded victory in the British Showjumping 128/138cm Handicap Special Final with Ruth Hogan’s Jessie Mae Harmony.
Twenty-seven riders tackled a 10-fence track – 128cm ponies over a 95cm course with the 138cm ponies jumping 1m – and 11, five 128cm ponies pitted against six 138cms, reached the jump-off. In the event, the bigger pony won, the British-bred 11-year-old Jessie Mae Harmony came to the fore for Lacie to win by three seconds.
The new partnership only started competing two months ago but have quickly established a rapport, winning the British Showjumping 138cm Handicap Special at their very first show together at Onley Grounds in February.
Freddie Hodges, 11, from Sawbridgeworth, Herts, scored handsomely in the 11-year-old and Under Final with Natalie Hodges’ Durley Hall Medici. Thirty-eight riders faced a 10-fence 90cm course and 19 found their way around without penalty to qualify for the jump-off, Freddie claiming two chances. He found the shortest route on the 14-year-old 135cm Medici to win with 0.92 seconds in hand.
Lexie Lane, 12, travelled from North Lanarkshire with Laura Lane’s consistent Riot Del Pegulil and added another win to the ever-growing tally with the Springboard 138cm Final. With two wins at 1.10m level to their credit two weeks ago, the pair were on form to be one of three in the jump-off, Lexie pitted against Emmie Horner’s two rides. Only two double clears were recorded, with Lexie and the 12-year-old Irish-bred mare storming home with more than eight seconds to spare. Emmie had to settle for second and third with Flirt D’Helerin and Cucaracha De Circee.
Ava Nicholl of Benson, Oxfordshire, jumped to the top to take the Springboard 128cm Final on Hillviews Princess Anne, a 16-year-old she has competed for 10 months. Six of the original 13 starters returned for the jump-off but only two double clears were recorded. Ava, 10, and Charlotte Nicholl’s Princess Anne commanding a handsome win by 6.80 seconds. Hugo Oakes slipped Jonny Be Good into second.
Portia Taylor Wilson, 12, from Canterbury, Kent, commanded the top two places in the South View 128cm Spring Championship. Six contended a competitive jump-off with Portia speeding into the top spot on Rebecca Clay’s seven-year-old gelding Doylan Honey Glint and backed up her form to guide the 11-year-old Ni Kkan into second, 0.66 seconds separating the two.
Bella Wild claimed two of the rides in the five-pony decider of the South View 138cm Spring Championship and galloped into the top spot with the feisty Buttons Two. Two supplied double clears, as Chester, Flintshire-based Bella, 14, and Ashleigh Effard’s Buttons Two denied Lacie Williams and her newly-crowned 128/138cm Handicap Special championship winner Jessie Mae Harmony by 2.67 seconds.
Olivia Brightmore, 12, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, was crowned new titleholder in the Winter 1.10m Championship with Kobra Van Orchids. The 18 starters were reduced to nine for the jump-off, Olivia and Rachel Brightmore’s Kanshebber x Kantjes Ronaldo 16-year-old stallion easing ahead to record a win by a quarter of a second.
Newport, Shropshire-based Zea Adams, 12, had to be quick in a hot jump-off the Winter 1m Championship to secure victory on Amanda Freeman’s Quick Fire Candy. Eighteen of the 28 starters claimed their place in the jump-off with Zea flying into the top spot to land a 2.62 second win on the British-bred six-year-old she started competing in August.
Image: Lorena Lamb and Valentine Romance. Credit: Phil Hillier Photography
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